


The Scourger and the Shadowhand

by Anonymous



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, M/M, Pre-Canon, Spies & Secret Agents, They're flirting and being spicy in this but nothing close to actual sex happens, You thought Cadwulf was a crack ship? Check THIS out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:27:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28276845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: All this time, Essek had been begging the Assembly for scraps, but maybe he hadn't been asking the right people - or the right person - the right questions. Maybe the Scourger knew something about the beacons Essek didn't. All Essek had to do was figure out how to get information out of him without sounding like he was prying. All he had to do was get closer to the Scourger, get him to let his guard down, and that was enough for Essek to switch gears. A personal approach was a little out of his range, but it was worth a shot.(AKA absolute pure crack because six days into hiatus can do that to a man.)
Relationships: Eodwulf/Essek Thelyss
Kudos: 10
Collections: Anonymous





	The Scourger and the Shadowhand

**Author's Note:**

> Idk what to put here. It's crack, fellas.
> 
> Set before Essek meets TM9

Essek was beginning to think it was pointless to even show up to these meetings.

Every time he went through the same anxiety inducing process - Disguising himself, doing his best to prevent being followed or traced, planning at odd hours so no one would notice him missing - and for what? Scraps of research, most of which he already knew? Essek felt his temperature raise a few degrees just thinking about it, rage simmering somewhere deep inside of him. 

At this point, it was almost degrading to stand there with the same two Scourger's every time - who basically acted as glorified messengers for the Assembly during all of this - and simply take it as they handed him documents that might as well have been as useful to him as a blank piece of parchment. It felt like the Assembly was laughing in his face. Essek  _ knew  _ they were hiding what they found from him, and Essek was confident they knew he knew, but Essek had  _ no way to change anything about it _ . That alone was so frustrating that it made Essek want to rip his hair out - the feeling of being utterly helpless. He was powerless against the Assembly on his own, but he had no one he could ask for support or assistance from to help him get a fair share of his own hard work, no one who wanted to be forthright with him about the research being conducted. He needed an in.

Lucky for him, one fell right into his lap.

Everything had been the same that night. He took extensive precautions to ensure his safety and avoid suspicion, he went to the location they had preset at the last meeting, and he was early - All of which was normal. 

What  _ wasn't _ normal was there only being one person meeting him.

It was the man, although now that he thought about it, Essek wasn't sure if he had ever bothered to learn his name. If Essek had, he certainly didn't remember it, as the Scourger had features defining enough that Essek didn't need a name to remember him by. He was physically intimidating for sure, broad and muscular, with arms that probably contained more muscle than Essek did in his entire body, but Essek was honestly far more intimidated by the power that he obviously must have possessed from a sharp mind. After all, he wouldn't work for Trent if he wasn't skilled in the arcane and hiding a powerful wit beneath all the bulk. Essek didn't fear the less muscular blonde Scourger who had always accompanied him for that same reason. He was confident that they  _ both _ must have been just as powerful as him, if not more so, regardless of either of their stature. However, she was currently missing, and the other Scourger didn't look as if anything was abnormal or amiss. 

Perhaps it should have relieved Essek that there was only one of them this time, as it increased his odds for survival in a worst case scenario, but seeing the scourger walk into the tavern alone immediately set off warning bells in Essek's head. This could easily be a trap, Essek knew. If only Essek could figure out exactly what that trap  _ was,  _ then he could feel a little more comfortable with the current situation.

As it was, Essek spent the entire time it took for the Scourger to reach him debating what he could possibly be missing. Why was the Scourger  _ alone  _ when he had always been accompanied previously?

The Scourger didn't stop for him, only raised an eyebrow at him and nodded ever so slightly towards the stairs that led to the rooms above the tavern, and then continued to walk past Essek. It was as much of an invitation to follow that Essek would get, he supposed, so with no words exchanged, he followed the Scourger and desperately tried to survey his surroundings for any signs that he was waltzing into a trap.

The buzz of the tavern below him began to fade as he was led further down the hall, and Essek almost strained his ears trying, but he heard no footsteps or shuffling behind him that indicated someone invisible could be following them, so he let the Scourger guide him to the room at the end of the hall, and when the door shut behind them, Essek could not contain his curiosity any longer.

"I can't help but notice your companion isn't with you." Essek said, as casually as possible, which was unfortunately not very, as he didn't usually talk much during these exchanges. Or at all, really.

Luckily, the Scourger just shrugged. "You come alone."

With no warning, the Scourger was casting, which Essek found rude every time. He was perfectly capable of dropping the illusory disguise himself if they wanted to verify his identity, but instead they dispelled his magic without permission or forewarning. Resisting would be petty and unprofessional on his end as well however, so he let the Scourger dispel his disguise without resistance.

"I  _ work  _ alone. You do not."

The Scourger didn't look concerned, even had an almost  _ predatory _ smile on his face as he spoke. "Are you implying I should be  _ worried  _ to come alone, Essek?"

_ That  _ made Essek sweat a little. Essek knew he was an easily cut loose end to the Assembly, and he was painfully aware of how easily they could deem him a liability and dispose of him at any point. If he implied that he was a threat to the Assembly, they would make quick work of him, that he was certain of.

Essek swallowed. "That was not my intention."

The Scourger looked at him strangely for a moment, seeming amused in a way. "I was just joking. You seem a little on edge tonight, is your position causing you stress, Shadowhand?"

" _ This _ causes me stress." Essek snapped, regaining a bit of his boldness upon seeing how amused the Scourger seemed to be. "Did Trent actually give you anything to deliver me, or are you just wasting my time?"

The Scourger looked a little miffed at his response, but pulled a scroll case from under his coat and held it out for Essek.

This scroll of parchment contained inside the case was even smaller than the last Essek had received. The writing was all in elaborate code, but Essek read it easily at this point with how long he had spent in the past pouring over what little information he had been given in the same code previously.

It was almost impressive that the Assembly still managed to disappoint him despite how little he expected.

There was nothing useful, just an elaborately worded letter that was filled with things he already knew, a joke made of parchment and ink. It was pointless to be angry about it, Essek knew for certain that emotions would not help him in his endeavors with the Assembly, but he still felt rage bubble up inside of him as he stuffed the parchment back into the scroll case as neutrally as possible. Something in his expression or body language must have given away his disappointment, though, as the Scourger raised an eyebrow at him curiously. 

"Not what you were hoping for?"

Essek laughed before he could stop himself, unable to keep his anger from boiling over. "Like you don't know this is all useless to me."

Though he didn't look particularly concerned, the Scourger held up his hands a little, mocking a surrender. "I'm just the messenger here. I really have no personal interest in your… beacons. I've already got my own patron." He gestured towards a strong chain draped from his neck, a silver pendant shaped like a feather attached to it - a symbol of the Raven Queen, Essek recognized after racking his brain for a moment. 

It didn't make Essek any less angry, but he supposed the Scourger was right. His anger  _ was _ misplaced if it was directed at anyone besides Trent, Ludinus, or Vess. They pulled all the strings here, not some random Scourger who probably couldn't care less about delivering these documents to him if it weren't for the commands of those above him. Essek couldn't help but feel a slight envy towards the Scourger regardless. To be even a little bit closer to the center of all the research on the beacons sounded wholly amazing to Essek, and the Scourger was on the  _ inside _ .

He probably had access to information Essek didn't.

Essek wondered if there was a possibility that the Scourger knew more about the Beacons than he was letting on, more than the Assembly had purposefully told Essek.

Gears turning in his head, Essek began to slowly form a plan.

All this time, Essek had been begging the Assembly for scraps, but maybe he hadn't been asking the right people - or the right  _ person _ \- the right questions. Maybe the Scourger knew something about the beacons Essek didn't. All Essek had to do was figure out how to get information out of him without sounding like he was prying. All he had to do was get  _ closer  _ to the Scourger, get him to let his guard down, and that was enough for Essek to switch gears. A personal approach was a little out of his range, but it was worth a shot.

"You Scourger's didn't strike me as the religious type." Essek tried, hoping the Scourger had the same weak point most highly religious people did: The incessant and obnoxious desire to praise their deity and spread their beliefs to others at any given chance. Religion could get personal easily, and Essek very much wanted the Scourger more open to him, knowing how much easier it could be to get information that way.

"I  _ am  _ more than just a Scourger, you know." There was a short pause, and Essek felt the hair on his arms raise a little as the Scourger began to slowly look him up and down, a look in his eyes that Essek couldn't quite define, but was full of some sort of  _ heat _ , and then- "Like you're  _ much _ more than just a Shadowhand, I'm sure."

There were so many things that that could have meant. He certainly  _ wasn't  _ just a Shadowhand, him simply being here was proof of that - But the look in the Scourgers eyes, and the tone of his voice… Essek knew with finality that the Scourger wasn't talking about his arrangement with the Assembly. Essek honestly wasn't sure  _ exactly _ what the Scourger was trying to imply, but whatever it was left Essek with the feeling that the room was suddenly a little warmer than it had been before.

With Essek barely even trying, the Scourger was now clearly thinking of topics more…  _ personal _ . Even though Essek had recognized that this scenario could be a possible result of him trying to get the Scourger to be a little less professional with him, he embarrassingly found himself floundering a little upon making so much progress so quickly. He honestly hadn't expected to get this far, especially from such a comparatively innocent question.

When Essek spoke again, he resisted the urge to cringe at how weak his own voice sounded. "I don't think I ever caught your name…?"

The Scourger actually chuckled a little at that. "Eodwulf." He said simply, after a moment.

"Well," Essek said, holding his hand out towards the Scourger (Or  _ Eodwulf _ now, Essek supposed) in an attempt to still appear friendly. "It's a pleasure to  _ formally _ make your acquaintance, Eodwulf."

Looking almost surprised at the display of pleasantries that Essek had previously forgone in their meetings, Eodwulf reached out to shake Essek's hand, something they had never done before despite already meeting several times previously. Eodwulf's hand almost entirely encompassed Essek's when Eodwulf grasped his hand in a firm (although not  _ overly _ firm) handshake, and Essek did his best not to look too off-put by it - it was expected for humans to be larger than Drow after all. It was just a little more distracting with Eodwulf, considering that he appeared to be above-average size for a human.

"And yours." Eodwulf nodded, the expression of  _ want  _ in his eyes not quite well enough hidden that Essek couldn't pick up on it.

Essek felt his palms get a little sweaty.

He  _ had _ to spin this in his favor.

_ He  _ couldn't be the one caught off-guard by  _ Eodwulf _ , but Eodwulf seemed to be one step ahead of him, and significantly more straightforward in his interests, as well as naturally charming in a way that Essek wasn't. Seducing people was obviously one of Eodwulf's strong suits, as he had the confidence of a man who wasn't often turned down, and Essek could see exactly why. 

Essek could also use that to his advantage, however.

Eodwulf was a man accustomed to getting what he wanted in situations like this, if the unwavering confidence was anything to go by. All it would take was Essek leaving him wanting to get Eodwulf interested in chasing him, invested in Essek as more than just an easy lay. If Eodwulf was unsatisfied with how things turned out here, Eodwulf would pursue him as long as he played his cards right, Essek was almost sure of it. It was just a matter of figuring out how to tell Eodwulf  _ no  _ for right now, but still showing enough interest to let Eodwulf know the cause wasn't lost. Essek didn't want to come off as easy, after all. He wanted the Scourger to  _ trust  _ him, not just think of him as a one night stand.

"Where are we meeting next time, then?" Essek asked, breaking the tension and pulling his hand away from Eodwulf's. Essek didn't miss the way he frowned at Essek seemingly changing pace so fast.

Eodwulf recovered from the small rejection quickly. "Same place again next time. Four weeks from now. Same time."

Essek hummed, and took a long moment to look Eodwulf up and down, taking in the sight as unashamed as Eodwulf had when he had done the same to Essek. Essek grinned coyly at Eodwulf.

"I'm looking forward to it, for once."

With that, Essek recast his disguise and tucked the scroll case under his cloak. Before Eodwulf could get another word in, Essek slipped out of the room, desperately hoping that the can of worms he was opening was going to be worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> It's not obvious to Essek (yet), but Eodwulf is purposefully trying to seduce him at the order of Trent in an attempt to get information out of Essek about the Dynasty. Not sure if that was clear, but I just wanted ppl to know I'm not trying to write Eodwulf as super thirsty for no reason LMAO


End file.
